James St. James
Encyclopedia
James St. James is an American television personality, author, celebutante and former Club Kid
of the Manhattan
club scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
James St. James was notorious for a lifestyle of excess that included heavy drug use, partying, and bizarre costumes that first brought him to national attention as the subject of Club Kids
television appearances and interviews. He wrote Disco Bloodbath
(now published under the title Party Monster) that was later made into the feature film Party Monster starring Macaulay Culkin
as Michael Alig
and Seth Green
as St. James. His life was the subject of the 1998 documentary Party Monster: The Shockumentary
.
where he lived with his mother after his parents divorced. In the summer he would stay with his father in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
until he moved to Fort Lauderdale
for high school. After reading Andy Warhol
’s book, Popism: The Warhol Sixties
St. James moved to New York
in 1984, where he studied performance art
at New York University
for two years before being absorbed into New York's club scene. St. James lived a celebutante lifestyle after becoming a close friend of nightlife icon and columnist Michael Musto
.
, although at first he and the other club personalities shunned the newcomer. Undeterred, Alig soon created his own scene by gathering up other creative rejects of the nightlife world, copying St. James' flamboyant style with self-promotion and innovative themed parties. Alig eventually grew on St. James, and St. James morphed from celebutante to Club Kid
while helping Alig create the new scene. Alig and St. James threw many parties together, eventually setting up the Disco 2000 club night at the New York City club, The Limelight
. St. James wrote several columns, most famously for the short lived New York City-based gay
publication OutWeek
during the magazine's two year life span from 1989-1991. St. James has appeared many times on television many along with the Club Kids
on talk shows during the 1980s and 1990s, including The Jerry Springer Show
, Geraldo, and The Joan Rivers Show.
. St. James' debut novel, Disco Bloodbath
, documents the infamous rise to fame of Alig and the murder. To avoid having to testify against Alig or club owner Peter Gatien
, St. James moved to Los Angeles
, where he currently lives. A documentary and feature film both used the book as their basis.
in 2007, a comedy/romance about a teenage drag queen who attends a new school and forges a relationship with the quarterback of the football team. Freak Show was winner of the American Library Association
award for best young adult novel of the year. James curates art shows at the World of Wonder Gallery
for the production company World of Wonder Productions, makers of both Party Monster: The Shockumentary
(1998) and Party Monster (2003), and blogs regularly on World of Wonder's website, the WOW Report. In the 2000s St. James has made regular appearances on America's Next Top Model
, cycles 5, 7, & 11 presenting contest skill challenges to the aspiring models.
Club Kids
The Club Kids were a group of young New York City club personalities mostly led by Michael Alig and James St. James in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
of the Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
club scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
James St. James was notorious for a lifestyle of excess that included heavy drug use, partying, and bizarre costumes that first brought him to national attention as the subject of Club Kids
Club Kids
The Club Kids were a group of young New York City club personalities mostly led by Michael Alig and James St. James in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
television appearances and interviews. He wrote Disco Bloodbath
Disco Bloodbath
Disco Bloodbath: A Fabulous but True Tale of Murder in Clubland is a 1999 memoir written by James St. James about his life as a Manhattan celebutante and club kid. The book specifically chronicles his friend Michael Alig's rise to fame and his subsequent murder of fellow club kid and drug dealer...
(now published under the title Party Monster) that was later made into the feature film Party Monster starring Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Carson Culkin is an American actor. He became widely known for his portrayal of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. He is also known for his roles in Richie Rich, Uncle Buck, My Girl, The Pagemaster, and Party Monster...
as Michael Alig
Michael Alig
Michael Alig is the co-founding member of the Club Kids, a group of young clubgoers led by long time best friend James St. James and Alig in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
and Seth Green
Seth Green
Seth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
as St. James. His life was the subject of the 1998 documentary Party Monster: The Shockumentary
Party Monster: The Shockumentary
Party Monster: The Shockumentary is a 1998 documentary film detailing the rise of the club kid phenomenon in New York City, the life of club kid and party promoter Michael Alig and Alig's murder of fellow club kid and drug dealer Angel Melendez. Produced by World of Wonder and based in part on the...
.
Early life and education
James grew up in a "well-to-do" family in Saginaw, MichiganSaginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
where he lived with his mother after his parents divorced. In the summer he would stay with his father in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
until he moved to Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
for high school. After reading Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
’s book, Popism: The Warhol Sixties
Popism: The Warhol Sixties
Popism: The Warhol Sixties is a 1980 memoir by the American artist Andy Warhol . It was first published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich....
St. James moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1984, where he studied performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
for two years before being absorbed into New York's club scene. St. James lived a celebutante lifestyle after becoming a close friend of nightlife icon and columnist Michael Musto
Michael Musto
Michael Musto is an American columnist for the The Village Voice, where he writes La Dolce Musto. Musto was born in Brooklyn to an Italian American family. He attended Columbia University graduating in 1976. During his studies, he was a theater critic for the Columbia Spectator...
.
Career
St. James became a mentor of sorts to Michael AligMichael Alig
Michael Alig is the co-founding member of the Club Kids, a group of young clubgoers led by long time best friend James St. James and Alig in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, although at first he and the other club personalities shunned the newcomer. Undeterred, Alig soon created his own scene by gathering up other creative rejects of the nightlife world, copying St. James' flamboyant style with self-promotion and innovative themed parties. Alig eventually grew on St. James, and St. James morphed from celebutante to Club Kid
Club Kids
The Club Kids were a group of young New York City club personalities mostly led by Michael Alig and James St. James in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
while helping Alig create the new scene. Alig and St. James threw many parties together, eventually setting up the Disco 2000 club night at the New York City club, The Limelight
The Limelight
The Limelight is the name of a chain of nightclubs that were owned and operated by Peter Gatien, located in Atlanta, Hollywood, Florida, and London, and formerly in New York City and Chicago.-History:...
. St. James wrote several columns, most famously for the short lived New York City-based gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
publication OutWeek
OutWeek
OutWeek Magazine was an influential gay and lesbian weekly news magazine published in New York City from 1989 to 1991. During its two year existence, OutWeek was widely considered the leading voice of AIDS activism and the initiator of a radical new sensibility in lesbian and gay...
during the magazine's two year life span from 1989-1991. St. James has appeared many times on television many along with the Club Kids
Club Kids
The Club Kids were a group of young New York City club personalities mostly led by Michael Alig and James St. James in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
on talk shows during the 1980s and 1990s, including The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...
, Geraldo, and The Joan Rivers Show.
Disco Bloodbath, late 1990s
As Alig got more into drugs, he infamously murdered his drug dealer roommate, Andre "Angel" MelendezAngel Melendez
Andre Melendez , better known as Angel Melendez, was a Club Kid and drug dealer who lived and worked in New York City. Melendez and his family arrived in New York from Colombia when Melendez was eight years old...
. St. James' debut novel, Disco Bloodbath
Disco Bloodbath
Disco Bloodbath: A Fabulous but True Tale of Murder in Clubland is a 1999 memoir written by James St. James about his life as a Manhattan celebutante and club kid. The book specifically chronicles his friend Michael Alig's rise to fame and his subsequent murder of fellow club kid and drug dealer...
, documents the infamous rise to fame of Alig and the murder. To avoid having to testify against Alig or club owner Peter Gatien
Peter Gatien
Peter Gatien was the owner of several New York nightclubs, including The Limelight, Palladium, Club USA, and Tunnel. He was once dubbed as the "King of New York Clubs", during his time in New York City.-Life and career:...
, St. James moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where he currently lives. A documentary and feature film both used the book as their basis.
Freak Show and the 2000s
St. James published a second book, Freak ShowFreak show
A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with both male and female secondary sexual characteristics, people with other extraordinary diseases and...
in 2007, a comedy/romance about a teenage drag queen who attends a new school and forges a relationship with the quarterback of the football team. Freak Show was winner of the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
award for best young adult novel of the year. James curates art shows at the World of Wonder Gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
for the production company World of Wonder Productions, makers of both Party Monster: The Shockumentary
Party Monster: The Shockumentary
Party Monster: The Shockumentary is a 1998 documentary film detailing the rise of the club kid phenomenon in New York City, the life of club kid and party promoter Michael Alig and Alig's murder of fellow club kid and drug dealer Angel Melendez. Produced by World of Wonder and based in part on the...
(1998) and Party Monster (2003), and blogs regularly on World of Wonder's website, the WOW Report. In the 2000s St. James has made regular appearances on America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
, cycles 5, 7, & 11 presenting contest skill challenges to the aspiring models.
Filmography
- 1998 documentary Party Monster: The ShockumentaryParty Monster: The ShockumentaryParty Monster: The Shockumentary is a 1998 documentary film detailing the rise of the club kid phenomenon in New York City, the life of club kid and party promoter Michael Alig and Alig's murder of fellow club kid and drug dealer Angel Melendez. Produced by World of Wonder and based in part on the...
; Extensive Interviews describing clubbing in the 1980s/1990s directed by Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato